Update: Wowza Glossary
Curious about the difference between transcoding and transmuxing? Not sure what SMIL stands for? We spell it all out in our online glossary.
To keep you in the know, we’ve recently updated this resource. Check out the new and expanded entries related to CMAF, WebRTC, and more.
The robust glossary defines several dozen terms, with a mixture of general streaming concepts and Wowza-specific features and capabilities. Below are some of the latest entries.
New Wowza Glossary Entries
chunk: Wowza Streaming Engine packetizers create chunks of indexable, keyframe-aligned content for HLS, HDS, and MPEG-DASH live streams. Those protocols use the term segment to describe the same unit of content.
CMAF: Common Media Application Format (CMAF) is an ISO standard wrapper for encoded multimedia content that can be delivered using both MPEG-DASH and HLS. When combined with the chunked-transfer encoding data-transfer mechanism in the HTTP 1.1 protocol, CMAF can be used to achieve low latency streaming. Support for CMAF in Wowza Streaming Engine is in development. Sign up to be notified when CMAF is available in Wowza Streaming Engine.
manifest: Used in HTTP streaming, a manifest is a file that contains (indexes) the content of the stream and the information required to play it. When a player requests the stream, the server responds with the stream’s manifest, which the HTTP client uses to order requests for the stream segments and to get metadata, bitrate, and codec information. MPEG-DASH manifest URLs end in .mpd, an acronym for media presentation description. In HLS, HDS, and SRT streaming, the manifest is called a playlist.
segment: In HTTP-based streaming, a segment is a small, keyframe-aligned and indexable bit of a stream, usually between 2 and 10 seconds long, that’s transferred from a server to a client. Stream segments are reconstructed sequentially on playback. In adaptive bitrate streaming, switching occurs at segment breaks.
HLS streaming uses the more specific term media segment. Wowza Streaming Engine HLS, HDS, and MPEG-DASH live stream packetizers call segments chunks.
Get up and running quickly by perusing the glossary today! No matter your level of expertise, this is a great resource to bookmark.